Selective partitioning of via structures in printed circuit boards

ABSTRACT

The embodiments herein relate to an apparatus and medium for selective partitioning of a via in a printed circuit board as to produce an electrically isolating portion between two electrically conducting portions in said via. The apparatus and medium implement a step of prior to drilling the hole for the via, laminating plating resist layers to the printed circuit board at a distance from each other corresponding to a desired length of the electrically isolated portion of the via. After drilling, copper is added to selected portions of the interior of the via in two different processing steps followed by a step of removing undesired copper as to produce the electrically isolating portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.14/387,928, which is the national stage of International Application No.PCT/SE2014/050619, filed May 20, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/831,400, filed Jun. 5, 2013, which arehereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relates to a method for selective partitioning of viastructures in printed circuit boards.

BACKGROUND ART

To allow signals to travel between different conductive layers in amultilayer printed circuit board PCB, plated via structures are used.Often the plating is done to the whole inner surface of the via, but theplating can also be done selectively at certain parts within the samevia to allow for more efficient use of conductive layers in the PCB.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate two examples of selective partitioning of viastructures known from prior art.

FIG. 1A illustrates a multilayer PCB 100 with a plurality of conductivelayers 101-106 sandwiched with a plurality of dielectric layers111-113,121-122. FIG. 1A also illustrates a via structure 140 in the PCB100. The via 140 comprises two plated electrically conductive portions141 and 142 and between the two plated portions is an electricallyisolating portion 145.

FIG. 1B illustrates another multilayer PCB 200 with a plurality ofconductive layers 151-156 sandwiched with a plurality of dielectriclayers 161-163,171-172 and a via structure 190. The via 190 alsocomprises two plated conductive portions 191 and 192 but between the twoplated portions is an electrically isolating portion 195 that is largerthan in FIG. 1A.

The electrically isolated portions 145 and 195 are produced by usingplating resist layers 143 and 193 of different thickness.

A disadvantage with using a relatively thin plating resist layer 143 asin FIG. 1A is that the distance between the two plated portions 141 and142 may be insufficient in order to achieve a valid isolation distance,especially for high voltage electronics.

A disadvantage with a thick plating resist layer 193 as in FIG. 1B isthat the manufacturing process is more work intensive as the PCB need anumber of additional preparation steps such as milling open portions inthe dielectric layers before the thick plating resist layer 193 can beapplied.

SUMMARY

The embodiments overcome at least some of the disadvantages mentionedabove.

The embodiments achieve an improved method to partition a via structureby using two plating resist layers in the PCB separated by at least onedielectric layer as to produce an electrically isolating portion of thevia structure between two electrically conducting portions of said viastructure.

One advantage of using the improved method is that only one drillingoperation is needed when drilling the holes for the via. There is noneed for high tolerance back drilling or sequential laminations withseparate drilling for each sequential configuration.

Another advantage is that using two (or more) plating resist layers anarbitrary size of the conductive portions and theisolating/non-conductive portions of the via can be created allowing formore flexible circuit design.

The method allows to create non-conductive portions of different sizesin the via using the same type and thickness of the plating resistlayers. This has the additional advantage of simplifying themanufacturing process and there is no need to keep plating resist layerswith different thickness in stock.

The invention embodiments will now be described in more detail and withpreferred embodiments and referring to accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating partitioned viastructures.

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3 are block diagrams illustrating a PCB and the methodsteps for producing an improved via structure within said PCB.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are block diagrams illustrating other embodiments ofimproved via structures.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the method steps for producing theimproved via structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a method for producing an improved via structure isillustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3 and 6. FIG. 2A illustrates four steps ofthe method applied on one and the same PCB 200. The PCB 200 has aplurality of conductive layers (normally copper layers) 201-208 andsandwiched between the copper layers 201-208 are dielectric layers asprepreg layers 211-214 and laminate layers 221-223 respectively. Prepregwhich is an abbreviation for pre-impregnated is a fiber weaveimpregnated with a resin bonding agent.

Before lamination, islands of at least two plating resist layers 231-234are added at predetermined places on the copper layers 203-206 on thelaminates 221-223 in step 1 (as shown in FIG. 6).

The plating resist layer can also be added directly on the laminate (notshown in FIG. 2A). In the lamination process, the islands of the platingresist layers are embedded in the prepreg layers 212 and 213 as seen instep 2 (as shown in FIG. 6). In step 3 (as shown in FIG. 6) a throughhole 240 is drilled in the PCB 200 through the copper layers 201-208 andthe plating resist layers 231-234. In step 4 (as shown in FIG. 6) andbefore plating, a thin layer 251 of chemical copper, is added to theinside of through hole 240 by placing the PCB 200 in a seed catalyzingbath. This thin layer 251 adheres to all inner parts of the through hole240 except for the plating resist layers 231-234 as seen in positions252 and 253 in FIG. 2B. In step 5 (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6) the PCB isplaced in an electrolytic copper plating bath. As the portion 254 of thethin layer 251 of chemical copper located between the two plating resistlayers 231 and 232 and the portion 255 located between the two platingresist layers 233 and 234 are electrically isolated from the otherconductive layers no copper is plated on these portions during theelectrolytic plating process. After copper plating of the through hole240, the thin copper layer that remains on portions 254 and 255 isremoved by using micro etch (or an equivalent post processingoperation). The resulting via structure is seen in step 6 (as shown inFIG. 6) with three conductive portions 301-303 and two non-conductiveportions 254 and 255 where the non-conductive portions 254 and 255 havea significant larger isolation distance than when using one thin platingresist layer only.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3 the plating resistlayers 231 and 232 are embedded in the same prepreg layer 212. Theimproved method is not limited to this configuration. FIG. 4 illustratesan embodiment of a PCB 400 having a plurality of copper layers 401-407and dielectric layers 411-413 and 421-423. In the PCB 400 the platingresist layers 431 and 432 are embedded in different prepreg layers 412and 413 apart from each other and where the non-conductive portion 451becomes larger.

The improved method is not limited to producing through hole vias onlybut can also be applied to blind vias or vias with different diameterswithin the same via structure. An example of the latter is illustratedin FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, a via structure in a PCB 500 is divided into twovia portions 530, 535 with different diameters. The narrower via portion530 is electrically isolated from the broader via portion 535 by usingtwo plating resist layers 541,542 in the same manner as described above.The broader via portion 535 is produced by an additional step of backdrilling with a larger drill before the seed catalyzing bath in step 4.The resulting plated portion 546 of the broader via portion 535 can forexample be used for mounting components to the PCB 500. As the platedportion 545 of the narrower via portion 530 is isolated from the platedportion 546 of the broader via portion 535 it can be used for conductingcurrent between other conductive layers in the PCB 500.

The embodiments can be implemented in an apparatus that further includesat least one microprocessor, a computer-readable medium includingcomputer-readable instructions, when executed by the at least onemicroprocessor, are configured to control fabrication equipment toperform the methods described herein. Embodiments can also beimplemented in digital electronic circuitry, in computer hardware,firmware, software, or in combinations thereof. Storage device suitablefor embodying the computer program instructions include signals capableof programming a data processing system, all forms of non-volatilememory including, but not limited to: semiconductor memory devices suchas EPROM, EEPROM, and flash devices; magnetic disks (fixed, floppy, andremovable); other magnetic media such as tape; optical media such asCD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and Blu-ray disks; and magneto-optic devices. Any ofthe foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in,specially-designed application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) orsuitably programmed field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for partitioning a via in amultilayer printed circuit board to produce an electrically isolatingportion between two electrically conducting portions in said via, theapparatus comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumhaving stored therein a fabrication controller; and a set of one or moreprocessors, the processors to execute to the fabrication controller,which when executed by the set of one or more processors, causefabrication equipment to place at least one island of a first platingresist layer on a first layered structure including a first conductivelayer and a first dielectric layer, to place at least one island of asecond plating resist layer on a second layered structure including asecond conductive layer and a second dielectric layer, to laminate thefirst and second layered structures with a third intermediate layeredstructure including at least one third dielectric layer adapted so thatthe islands of the first plating resist layer and the second platingresist layer become embedded in the at least one third dielectric layer,to drill a first hole in the printed circuit board so that the firsthole passes through the islands of the first plating resist layer andthe second plating resist layer, to process in a first step the printedcircuit board so that copper is placed on an interior of the first holeexcept for portions with the first plating resist layer and the secondplating resist layer, to process in a second step the printed circuitboard so that additional copper is placed on the interior of the firsthole except for portions of the first plating resist layer and thesecond plating resist layer and except for portion of the at least onethird dielectric layer, and to process in a third step the printedcircuit board so that the copper placed on an at least one thirddielectric layer portion of the first hole is removed.
 2. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the third step of removing copper from the at leastone third dielectric layer portion of the first hole is done bymicroetching.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least onethird dielectric layer is made of an impregnated fiber weave adapted toembed the islands of the first plating resist layer and the secondplating resist layer.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fiberweave is impregnated with a resin bonding agent.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first hole is partly penetrating the printedcircuit board.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first hole is athrough hole through the printed circuit board.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein drilling the first hole includes drilling with a largerdrill from an opposite side of the printed circuit board as to producetwo portions of the via with different diameters and wherein the twoportions of the via meet each other in a position between the firstplating resist layer and the second plating resist layer.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first step is a copper seed catalyzingbath, and wherein the second step is an electrolytic copper plating bathwhere the copper placed on the at least one third dielectric layerportion of the first hole is electrically isolated from the first andsecond conductive layers.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firsthole passes through the first conductive layer and the second conductivelayer.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first layered structureincludes a third conductive layer and a third dielectric layer that iscovered by the laminating.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium having stored therein a set of instructions, which whenexecuted by one or more microprocessors cause fabrication equipment toperform a set of operations, the set of operations comprising: placingat least one island of a first plating resist layer on a first layeredstructure including a first conductive layer and a first dielectriclayer, to place at least one island of a second plating resist layer ona second layered structure including a second conductive layer and asecond dielectric layer, to laminate the first and second layeredstructures with a third intermediate layered structure including atleast one third dielectric layer adapted so that the islands of thefirst plating resist layer and the second plating resist layer becomeembedded in the at least one third dielectric layer, to drill a firsthole in a printed circuit board so that the first hole passes throughthe islands of the first plating resist layer and the second platingresist layer, to process in a first step the printed circuit board sothat copper is placed on an interior of the first hole except forportions with the first plating resist layer and second plating resistlayer, to process in a second step the printed circuit board so thatadditional copper is placed on the interior of the first hole except forportions of the first plating resist layer and the second plating resistlayer and except for portion of the at least one third dielectric layer,and to process in a third step the printed circuit board so that thecopper placed on an at least one third dielectric layer portion of thefirst hole is removed.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 11, wherein the third step of removing copper from the at leastone third dielectric layer portion of the first hole is done bymicroetching.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim11, wherein the at least one third dielectric layer is made of animpregnated fiber weave adapted to embed the islands of the firstplating resist layer and the second plating resist layer.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the fiberweave is impregnated with a resin bonding agent.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first hole is partlypenetrating the printed circuit board.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first hole is athrough hole through the printed circuit board.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein drilling the first holeincludes drilling with a larger drill from an opposite side of theprinted circuit board as to produce two portions of the via withdifferent diameters and wherein the two portions of the via meet eachother in a position between the first plating resist layer and thesecond plating resist layer.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 11, wherein the first step is a copper seed catalyzingbath, and wherein the second step is an electrolytic copper plating bathwhere the copper placed on the at least one third dielectric layerportion of the first hole is electrically isolated from the first andsecond conductive layers.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 11, wherein the first hole passes through the firstconductive layer and the second conductive layer.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first layeredstructure includes a third conductive layer and a third dielectric layerthat is covered by the laminating.